Regulator system for a timepiece



July 28, 1959 M. GIROUD 2,396,399

REGULATOR SYSTEM FOR A TIMEPIECE Filed June 10, 1957 United States Patent REGULATOR SYSTEM FOR A TIMEPIECE Marcel Giroud, La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland, assignor to Manufacture des Montres Doxa S.A., Le Locle, Switzerland, a Swiss firm Application June 10, 1957, Serial No. 664,836

Claims priority, application Switzerland July 18, 1956 2 Claims. (Cl. 58-113) My invention resorts to a regulator system for a timepiece of the type in which the regulator carries a pin and a clamping member between which the hair spring is engageable. According to my invention, the wrench is secured to an elastic section cut out of the regulator body and provided with two arcuate surfaces which, when seen from the centre of the regulator system are located respectively to the right hand side and to the left hand side of the clamping member and radially beyond the latter, so that when either of said surfaces is subjected to pressure, the clamping member is shifted radially away from the pin after which the regulator may be rocked in either direction.

I have illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of a regulator system according to my invention. In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of said regulator system.

Figs. 2 and 3 are cross-sections through lines II--II and III-III of Fig. 1 respectively.

In the drawings, 1 designates the balance cock and 2 the hair spring, the outer end of which is secured to an eyebolt 3, while its inner end which is not illustrated is secured to the ferrule of the balance; 4 designates the cock endstone around which may rock the elastic ring 5 which is provided with a slit at 6 and which carries the above mentioned eye-bolt 3. Around said ring may rock in its turn the actual regulator constituted by a further elastic ring 7 provided with a radial slit at 8 and carrying a lateral projection 9 including a loop-shaped elastic arm 9a separated from the inner medial section of the projection 9 by the transverse slit 10. Preferably the ring 7, the projection 9 and its outer arm 9a are cut out of a unitary member and the slits 8 and 10 in the ring and projection are formed in the latter.

To the inner end of the projection 9 is secured the pin 11 while the medial part of the arm 9a carries the clamping member 12, the hair-spring extending between said pin and clamping member to be normally held fast thereby, 13 and 14 designate two finger-operable arcuate surfaces formed on the arm 9a and which when seen from the centre of the regulator system are located respectively to the right hand side and to the left hand side of the clamping member 12 and outwardly of the latter.

When one of said finger-operable arcuate surfaces is pressed, this urges outwardly the elastic arm 9a so as to shift radially the clamping member 12 away from the pin 11. This deformation of the arm 9 being obtained 2,896,399. Patented July 28, 1959 and the pressure exerted on the arcuate surface being maintained, the regulator ring 7 may be angularly shifted in the corresponding direction. When the pressure is released, the regulator is held fast, the clamping member 12 clamping again the hair spring between it and the pin 11.

What I claim is:

1. In a regulator for a timepiece hairspring, the combination of an annular elastic angularly shiftable regulator body coaxial with the hairspring, a single outwardly directed elastic projection rigid with said ring, extending symmetrically to either side of a radial plane passing through the axis of the spring and including two elastically interconnected sections radially aligned in said plane and facing each other, the inwardly facing outline of the outer section merging into finger-operable surfaces arranged symmetrically to either side of said plane and adapted to be urged outwardly against the elasticity of the projection together with said outer section, a springclamping member and a pin rigid respectively with each of said sections of the projection, lying inwardly of the finger-operable surfaces and clamping normally the spring between them under the action of the elasticity of the projection outward shifting of the finger-operable surfaces urging the outer section outwardly to release the hairspring,

2. In a regulator for a timepiece hairspring, the combination of an annular elastic angularly shiftable regulator body coaxial with the hairspn'ng, a single outwardly directed elastic projection rigid with said ring including a looped extension forming an inner element and an outer element both symmetrically arranged to either side of a radial plane of the spring and regulator body, two sections radially aligned in last mentioned plane, rigid respectively with the said elements of the looped extension and separated by a small transverse gap, the inwardly facing surface of the outer element of the extension merging into the lateral surfaces of the outer section to form rounded finger-engageable parts to either side of and very near the said radial plane, a spring-clamping member rigid with the outer section at a point clearly nearer the axis of the spring than said rounded parts, a pin rigid with the inner section in radial alignment with the spring-clamping member and normally clamping the spring between it and the latter, outward shifting of either finger-engageable parts urging the outer section and clamping member outwardly to release the hairspring and shift the regulator body angularly in the corresponding direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 907,521 Norton Dec. 22, 1908 2,604,754 Favret July 29, 1952 2,637,970 Kocher May 12, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 281,489 Switzerland June 16, 1952 943,517 Germany May 24, 1956 1,027,881 France Feb. 18, 1953 

